After fan outcry, EA kicks real-money purchases out of Battlefront II

Enlarge / Perhaps Star Wars: Battlefront II won’t go down in flames after a major EA about-face. (credit: Electronic Arts)
Just hours before Star Wars Battlefront II‘s retail launch Friday, Electronic Arts and developer DICE announced that they are “turning off all in-game purchases… and all progression will be earned through gameplay.” The surprise announcement promises the ability to purchase in-game crystals (used to purchase randomized loot boxes filled with in-game items) will return “at a later date,” but “only after we’ve made changes to the game.”
“As we approach the worldwide launch, it’s clear that many of you feel there are still challenges in the design,” DICE General Manager Oskar Gabrielson writes. “We’ve heard the concerns about potentially giving players unfair advantages.

And we’ve heard that this is overshadowing an otherwise great game.

This was never our intention.Sorry we didn’t get this right.”
Venturebeat cites “sources familiar with the situation” in reporting that the major change comes after Electronic Arts CEO Andrew Wilson conducted a phone call with Disney CEO Bob Iger about the game.

EA acquired the lucrative exclusive rights to publish Star Wars-based games in 2013, a year after Disney purchased Lucasfilm for $4 billion.
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